A Wardrobe Architect journey in Western Australia

A Wardrobe Architect journey in Western Australia

In late 2016, eight members of the Vic Park Sewcialists met fortnightly – over coffee in a local café – to discuss, explore and define our individual styles. The plan was to use these new definitions to inspire and inform our future sewing plans!

The Sewcialists undertook the wardrobe planning process using Colette Patterns’ Wardrobe Architect resources. Each fortnight, participants were set homework to be completed ahead of the meeting.

At the first meeting we talked about our motivations for taking part in the Wardrobe Architect series. Reasons included poorly defined style, unsuitable clothing/lifestyle matches, and sewist’s block due to overwhelming choices in pattern and fabric combinations. Surprisingly, we also learned that a number of people had recently KonMari’d their life and now had gaps in their wardrobe which they wanted to fill with clothes they loved! It was a great opportunity to get to know each other and ourselves better.

At the second meeting we worked on ‘defining our core style’ and identifying our style icons. Pinterest was a great resource for collecting and sharing images.

Meeting 3 involved looking at shapes of individual items of clothing and how they could be used to create the silhouettes we love… but being conscious of the fact that sometimes what you love is not always what suits you (or what you like to wear)!

The fourth meeting had the Sewcialists raiding Bunnings stores and collecting paint swatches to define our personal colour palettes. We also looked at patterns and florals and how we would incorporate them into our wardrobe.

Having defined our style and colour palettes, we moved on to assessing our existing wardrobes! This meant looking at all the individual items in our wardrobes, and considering how often we wore each piece, how we felt wearing them, and how they aligned with our new style definitions. This process helped us identify gaps in our wardrobes, and/or items we wanted to own more of!

The final task for each of us was to create a list of approximately five items which each of us wanted/needed to sew! Members brought patterns and swatches of suitable fabrics for new items to Meeting 6. We also took the time to reflect on how we thought Wardrobe Architect would help with future sewing projects, including pattern and fabric purchases.

Wardrobe Architect was a sewing highlight for many of the Sewcialists in 2016. There were lively discussions with many surprises and opportunities for reflection along the way. We also got to know our fellow ASG members better – including their motivations for sewing, and what influences their personal style. Thanks to Zoe, Debra, Caroline, Mel, Emma, Bec W, Sandra and Irene for joining us (Vanessa and Sarah) on the Wardrobe Architect journey!

The Vic Park Sewcialists recommend the process to other ASG members/neighbourhood groups too! If you’re interested in undertaking the Wardrobe Architect process yourself - you’re in luck! All the resources are free, and ready and waiting for you online. But if you want it to work through the process as a Neighbourhood Group, flick an email to Sarah at asg.vpsewcialists.wa@aussew.org.au - we’re happy to share the Sewcialists’ meeting/homework structure with you!